MAA Writing Awards
Controllability, Observability, and Duality AND Feedback Linearization of Single Input Nonlinear Systems,
Year of Award: 2000
Publication Information: The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 106, 1999, pp. 705-719 and 812-828
Summary: This paper introduces a circle of ideas from control theory via the question of "equivalence" between n-dimensional first order linear systems and nth-order linear equations. The full answer to this equivalence question introduces some of the central concepts of modern control theory.
About the Author: (from The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 106, (1999)) William J. Terrell received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from North Carolina State University in 1990. Since 1991 he has been a member of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. His research interests are in the area of differential equations with special focus on systems and control theory.
